It is known from practice in the manufacture of aircraft that stringers are mounted manually on flexible surface structures, especially on flexible skins of aircraft parts.
EP 2 388 194 A2 and EP 2 596 904 A1 show a robot-guided assembly tool (also known as a joining tool) and an assembly device (also known as a joining device) with a plurality of industrial robots for assembling (joining) stringers in an automated manner on the skin of an aircraft. The assembly tool has a gripper, guide and pressing rollers as well as a heating device, wherein the gripper first grips into the end-face opening of the profiled stringer and releases the stringer after the latter has been placed on the skin of the aircraft. The industrial robot subsequently moves the assembly tool continuously along the stringer, while it is rolling on the stringer with the rotating guide and pressing rollers.